Disability and Sexuality
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Youth
This video on disability and sexuality states that people with disabilities have the same sexual and romantic feelings as anyone else, including a range of sexual orientations. It also reinforces the idea that people with disabilities want the same healthy relationships as anyone else, and they often have similar questions about relationships and their bodies. The video also goes over issues that people with disabilities are more likely to face, like overprotective parents, friends misunderstanding their disability, and trouble expressing feelings and consent verbally.
Youth
All people are sexual beings, no matter what their bodies can or cannot do physically or what type of support they may need from time to time or all of the time. It’s important for young people living with disabilities to learn about sexuality. They have the same hormones and sexual needs and desires as other people, and they can have different sexual orientations (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, asexual, etc.) and gender identities (transgender, cisgender, gender nonconforming, etc.). Young people with disabilities want the same thing everyone else wants in a relationship—respect, consent, communication and fun, which is why people regardless of their abilities need to learn about expressing romantic interest in a partner, healthy relationships, dealing with rejection and sexual health.
If you are a young person with a disability, sex education can help you learn about communicating interest in a partner and healthy relationships as well as any specific concerns about what you can or cannot do in sexual situations. Talk to a parent, guardian, health care provider or other trusted adult about how you can get the sex education you need.
Parents
All people are sexual beings, regardless of their abilities and what type of support they may need from time to time or all of the time. It’s important for young people living with disabilities to learn about sexuality. Parents and guardians may try to protect young people with a disability from injury or harm by keeping information about sexuality from them or shielding them from dating or being in romantic or sexual relationships. Parent’s and guardian’s fears are not unfounded as young people living with disabilities are at greater risk of sexual abuse, assault and exploitation. (People with intellectual disabilities are seven times more likely to experience sexual assault than people without disabilities.) But parents and guardians do young people living with disabilities a disservice when they don’t educate them about privacy, what is appropriate, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, sexual assault, consent and how to be safe. Educating young people with disabilities about healthy sexuality supports them in establishing safe, healthy and developmentally appropriate relationships; identifying sexual assault; and communicating if someone has crossed a boundary with them.
Young people with disabilities have the same hormones and sexual needs and desires as other people, and they can have different sexual orientations (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, etc.) and gender identities (transgender, cisgender, gender nonconforming, etc.). Young people living with disabilities want the same thing everyone else wants in a relationship—respect, consent, communication and fun, which is why people regardless of their abilities need to learn about expressing romantic interest in a partner, healthy relationships, dealing with rejection and sexual health.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
If you have a child with a disability, it’s essential that you have conversations about topics like puberty, relationships and boundaries, so your child knows that they can come to you with questions. The easiest way to start these conversations is to talk about issues as they come up in everyday life, like while watching TV together.
Below are some ways to start these conversations:
Educators
All people are sexual beings, regardless of their abilities and what type of support they may need from time to time or all of the time. It’s important for young people with disabilities to learn about sexuality. Parents and guardians may try to protect disabled young people from injury or harm by keeping information about sexuality from them or shielding them from dating or being in romantic or sexual relationships. Parent’s and guardian’s fears are not unfounded as young people living with disabilities are at greater risk of sexual abuse, assault and exploitation. (People with intellectual disabilities are seven times more likely to experience sexual assault than people without disabilities.) But we do young people living with disabilities a disservice when we don’t educate them about privacy, what is appropriate, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, sexual assault, consent and how to be safe. Educating young people with disabilities about healthy sexuality helps them establish safe, healthy and developmentally appropriate relationships; identify sexual assault; and communicate if someone has crossed a boundary with them.
Young people with disabilities have the same hormones and sexual needs and desires as other people, and they can have different sexual orientations (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, etc.) and gender identities (transgender, cisgender, gender nonconforming, etc.). Young people living with disabilities want the same thing everyone else wants in a relationship—respect, consent, communication and fun, which is why people regardless of their abilities need to learn about expressing romantic interest in a partner, healthy relationships, dealing with rejection and sexual health.